Senate to Take Up Legislation Addressing Violent Assaults at Hospitals and Doctors’ Offices

Ways and Means Committee Also Schedules Bill Supporting Home Care Workers and Clients

(BOSTON—7/9/2026) Today, Massachusetts Senate leaders announced that the Senate would advance and debate two separate bills that support people who provide and receive crucial care in Massachusetts, including legislation to address an alarming spate of violent assaults on health care workers.

Nearly seven out of 10 nurses in Massachusetts now report having experienced an assault in the workplace, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association.

The Senate’s violence prevention bill supports frontline health care workers by focusing on security and requiring medical facilities to regularly evaluate their protocols, security access points, and response times to violent incidents. Another bill creates a new state licensure process for home care workers.

“Whether you are a medical professional on the job or a resident receiving home care, you have the right to know that you are safe and protected,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “The bills that the Senate will debate next week would enshrine those protections into law and build increased safety and confidence in our state’s health care system. I am grateful to Chair Rodrigues for his stewardship of this legislation and to Senator Lovely, Senator Jehlen, and all our colleagues who have raised their voices in support of bringing these bills to the floor.”

“We count on our health care workers in our most vulnerable moments—we entrust our very lives to them—and now they’re counting on us,” said Senator Michael J. Rodrigues (D-Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “Nurses, doctors, and emergency medical personnel should feel safe and secure as they perform their vital work each and every day. Our bill will help create safe hospitals, safe doctors’ offices, and safe workplaces.”

An Act Requiring Health Care Employers to Develop and Implement Programs to Prevent Workplace Violence

The legislation supporting frontline health care workers, S.3171, requires health care facilities to perform annual reviews of security protocols and potential risks.

The bill also helps law enforcement to make timely arrests for assaults at hospitals and doctors’ offices, extends new supports to health care employees who are assaulted on the job, and shields victims’ personal information from assailants.

A prior version of this bill was given a favorable report by the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security following an opportunity for public input at a hearing last year, and was then passed by the House of Representatives.

An Act to Improve Massachusetts Home Care

The home care bill, S.3170, creates a new state licensure process for home care workers, who provide non-medical care such as dressing, meal prep and bathing, and other tasks that help older adults age in place. Massachusetts is among a small number of states that do not currently have any such licensure process.

The bill provides accountability for home care agencies, peace of mind for clients and their families, and opportunities for stakeholder input.

This legislation was previously reviewed by the Joint Committee on Aging and Independence, which held a public hearing on the matter last year before advancing a version of the bill which was later passed by the House of Representatives.

Both bills were most recently redrafted by the Senate Ways and Means Committee, which released them this morning and sent them to the full Senate. The Senate plans to debate both bills during a formal session next Thursday, July 16, 2026.

Full details of the legislation are available in fact sheets in the Senate press room.

All votes taken at the committee and chamber levels are publicly posted on the Legislature’s website.

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